


Hoist The Colours

by theloverneverleaves, themonsterswin



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Pirates of the Caribbean Fusion, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, and shady ex pirate parents, ft. the great pirate magnus bane, pirate!clary - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-07 23:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8820358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theloverneverleaves/pseuds/theloverneverleaves, https://archiveofourown.org/users/themonsterswin/pseuds/themonsterswin
Summary: Clary Fray would have been perfectly happy living her entire life on land, thank you very much. But when her best friend Simon is kidnapped by notorious pirates, she’ll do anything to get him back - including asking the equally notorious pirate Magnus Bane for help. On a journey across the seven seas aboard a stolen ship, Clary finds herself keeping unusual and unexpected company - and realising that maybe not all the stories she’s heard about the ocean are just stories.





	1. How It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to one big Shadowhunters / POTC mashup fic, Clizzy centric ft. a large dollop of Magnus Bane, Lightwoods and Lucelyn. This is co-written by Talia (themonsterswin) and Ali (theloverneverleaves). 
> 
> Feedback/notes are always welcome and appreciated <3

“That one.”

“That one?”

Clary frowned, squinting in an attempt to get a better look at the boat - or ship, as Magnus kept correcting her - that her newfound co-conspirator had pointed out, glancing from the ship back to Magnus then, shaking her head a little. “But that’s the Interceptor, the Royal Navy’s pride and joy, they’re never gonna let us take it.”

“And that’s the only ship that’s fast enough to get us out of here without getting sunk or caught. So yes, that one.”

This plan was already getting a little out of hand. Admittedly, it had been heading in that direction the second Clary decided that Magnus Bane might want to help her find Simon, but this? Stealing the Interceptor right from under the eyes of the Royal Navy, whose men seemed to be aboard the ship in that moment? That seemed like it might be pushing things a little too far.

“And how exactly do you suggest we steal that ship?”

“Easy. Get on board, weigh anchor and sail away.”

“With the sailors still aboard?”

“Obviously not, biscuit. We’ll need to improvise that part.”

Clary couldn’t help but think that sounded everything but promising, but she couldn’t help but feel like she had very little choice. Her own mother had refused to help her, and with Luke away at sea she didn’t know who else to turn to. She needed a ship if she wanted to chase after whoever it was that had taken Simon and aside from the fact that she didn’t know much about sailing a ship, she did realise she could hardly do it alone.

She needed someone who knew ships and who knew how to navigate these seas and when she heard Magnus Bane was in the local jail, her mind had been made up within seconds. The man was a known pirate, a legend. If anyone knew how to track down Simon, he did.

“Okay. Improvising. Where do we start?”

“How good are you with explosives?” Magnus asked it flippantly, as if everyone was good with explosives. Eyebrow raised, Clary shot Magnus a look.

“I’m a barmaid, how good do you think I am with explosives?”

“Never underestimate a barmaid.” There was something in his voice that said he was speaking from experience there. Magnus nodded to one of the other ships in the bay. “That one’s empty.”

Clary turned, following Magnus’ gaze to the other ship. “There’s guards though. I see two.”

“We can handle two guards.”

“Can we?,” she couldn’t help but ask, glancing back over at Magnus, hesitating for a moment then before turning back towards the ship, moving forward. “I assume we’re doing this now?”

“Having second thoughts?”

“No,” Clary insisted immediately, pointedly picking up her pace, heading right over to where the ship was docked. “Am I supposed to handle the guards?” 

“Can you?” he challenged, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“Handling sailors, drunk or not, is kind of part of my job these days.”

“Then impress me.”

Working at her mother’s tavern, Clary wasn’t lying when she said that she had a certain amount of experience when it came to handling sailors; admittedly, more experience with the drunk variety of them, but she was well enough equipped to handle sober ones as well. As a young girl spending her time serving mostly men, she was well aware that she looked a certain way and that despite the fact that most men treated her awfully, she had a certain sway with them regardless.

Shooting one last look at Magnus, Clary then cleared her throat, smoothed down her dress and reached up, making a bit of a mess of her hair before she rushed towards the two guards.

“Officers! Officers, please, I need your help,” she offered, lacing her voice with panic, eyes slightly wide as she looked from the one guard to the next, picking one at random and pretending to trip over her own feet, falling into him. “Some man back there was chasing me, I’m just .. I’m so scared, please help,” she added, pleading with the two men who’s chest seemed to puff up at the mere thought of coming to her rescue.

“Not to worry ma’am, we’ll take care of you,” one of them said, pulling her closer to him and she resisted the urge to push his arm away, fighting to keep the panicked look on her face. “Where did you say the man was?”

She pointed up at the bridge a little while away, using her free hand to keep a light hold of the guard’s jacket, sniffing a little. “He was up on that bridge when I first saw him, and then he chased me down to the docks, over there.”

The guards exchanged looks, then nodded at each other. “Alright, we’ll go see if we can find him.”

“Thank you so much,” she breathed, pretending to be relieved, batting her eyelashes at the two men before stepping back a little. “Would you mind terribly if I stayed here? I just .. I’m afraid to face that man, he scared me so…”

All but pouting at the men, they seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding again. “Alright, but … stay here, we’ll come back in a bit to take your statement and to make sure you’re okay.”

Clary nodded, forced smile on her face as she stepped a little to the side, folding her hands together in front of her, staying put for a moment as she watched the men take off in the direction she’d pointed them, swiftly dropping the facade as soon as they were out of sight, instead looking around for Magnus.

“You make a very lovely damsel in distress, Miss Fray.” Magnus’ voice came from behind her as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere, making her start a little in surprise. Dismissing it, she mock curtsied, light grin on her face.

“Why thank you, Mister Bane,” she offered, turning towards the ship then, taking in just how large of a vessel it was. “We probably don’t have much time, I don’t know how long they’ll look for this man that doesn’t exist.” Clary paused, then moved forward, climbing aboard the ship. “Can we sail this with just the two of us?”

“We’re not sailing this anywhere,” Magnus said flippantly as he followed on board, swinging up the gangway with a casual ease.

“We’re … not?”

“I told you, biscuit, we want the Interceptor. This is the Dauntless,” he reminded her, quickly heading below deck before anyone managed to notice what was going on. Clary followed him with equal pace, watching as Magnus moved over towards the cannons, and the large supply of gunpower that stood with them.

“So what are we gonna do with this ship?”

Clary was almost afraid to ask, especially with the way Magnus was eyeing those creates of gunpowder, but at the same point there wasn’t a whole lot that scared her right now. Her best friend had been taken and she would do whatever it took to get him back; she didn’t care what rules or even laws she had to break to get to him.

“Cause a distraction, of course.” Magnus spoke as if it was obvious, reaching for a box of matches that lay in the hold. He withdrew one as if to light it, and then seemed to think better of it, looking over to her. “You can swim, can’t you?”

Hesitating for a moment - glancing down at her dress, contemplating how it really wasn’t proper (or comfortable) swimwear - Clary then nodded, eyeing Magnus warily. “Yes…”

“Excellent.” Magnus lit the match, nodding back to the ladder. “Then I’d go up on deck and jump.”

“Wait, what exactly is the plan here?,” Clary couldn’t help but ask, holding up one of her hands, turning towards the ladder but not climbing it yet, holding Magnus’ gaze.

“If the entire navy is looking at the burning second best ship, they won’t notice us stealing their best one. Now go on.”

Pausing, Clary contemplated the somewhat crazy plan, then nodded her head. “Fair enough.”

“Then run.” Magnus suggested, before tossing the match in the general direction of the explosives, and running towards her.

Not needing to be told twice, Clary rushed up the ladder, crossing the width of the deck before jumping over the railing in a dive, feeling the water close around her, her dress all but pulling her down as it soaked up water.

A capable swimmer, Clary still struggled to reach the surface again, breathing out, reaching up to brush the wet hair that was clinging to her face aside, then pushing herself to move forward, moving further away from the ship.

“Magnus?” she called out then, looking around in search of him as she waited for the inevitable.

Just as the flames started to catch, Clary felt something catch at her ankle, dragging her downwards, and it was all she could do to swallow some air whilst she could. Before she could really begin to panic though, she managed to spot Magnus, guiding her forward and under the docks, in the direction of the Interceptor. And then the whole sky above them seemed to light up orange as the ship went up in flames.

They surfaced quietly underneath the wooden boardwalk of the docks, the Interceptor just a short stretch away, and Clary couldn’t help but turn back and watch the entire port light up orange and red with the lick of flames around one of the Navy’s best ships. The men were shouting and yelling above her, feet rushing in the direction of the now burning ship.

It was a mad plan, but of course, it worked. Magnus Bane was chaotic and brilliant like that 

“Come on, we better not waste any time,” Magnus whispered softly, swimming towards the now mostly vacant Interceptor, grabbing onto a ladder that was slung down the side of the ship.

Following his lead, Clary followed Magnus up the ladder and onto the deck, staying low out of fear of being spotted, but as she moved further onto the ship she soon realised there was no one there. “Did everyone leave?,” she asked, an incredulous tone to her voice, almost not believing that a prized ship like this would be left alone; but then she supposed they had made quite a ruckus.

Before Magnus could answer, there was the sound of footsteps further down the deck, and Magnus yanked her behind the mast of the ship’s sails, hushing her gently. It seemed not everyone had left, and Magnus wasn’t terribly keen on the idea of going back to jail. Clary didn’t much fancy it either, really.

Reaching for his pistol, Clary raised an eyebrow, knowing there was no way the gunpowder needed to fire it was dry. But regardless, he signalled to her, counting down with his fingers, and once again she found herself wondering what the plan was. 

She didn’t have much time to wonder, though, as Magnus leapt out onto the deck, pistol raised. But before he could do anything, she grabbed at his arm, pulling him back when she saw just who was on the ship with them.

“Magnus!” she yelled softly, dragging him back, but before she could explain herself she found she didn’t have to.

“Luke?”

“Clary?”

“Mom?”

“Weren’t you in jail?”

The fact that Luke seemed to know Magnus was really the least surprising part of this all; Clary hadn’t exactly expected to find her parents here, after all, and she wasn’t entirely sure what to think about what was going on here.

“This isn’t what it looks like..” she started, trailing off, glancing from Luke to Magnus, gaze lingering on her mother then, fidgeting a little with her still dripping wet dress.

“Oh so you aren’t stealing the Interceptor to chase after whoever took Simon?”

“No…?” she offered weakly, aware of what it sounded like.

“Clary, what were you thinking? You can’t just go and steal a ship, it’s dangerous, you know that,” Jocelyn began, stepping forward, taking in her dripping wet daughter with something of a disappointed look. “You shouldn’t be -”

“Oh, like you never took part in any crazy pirating activities, Jocelyn. Give the girl a break, at least she has fairly noble intentions,” Magnus cut in, looking somewhat unimpressed. Jocelyn flushed, and if that wasn’t enough of a surprise, Clary didn’t know what was.

Ignoring her confusion, her almost instant need for some sort of answer as to what the hell that meant, Clary forced herself to focus on the matter at hand. “Someone took Simon and I’m getting him back,” she stated, knowing full well she was stating the obvious, but apparently it needed to be said. “Either you’re helping or I’m doing it without you.”

She sounded a lot braver and a lot more certain than she felt; not that she was uncertain about whether or not she would do everything she could to get Simon back, but she was uncertain about whether or not Luke and Jocelyn would let her. Bravado aside, Clary didn’t now how far she’d get if her parents wouldn’t let her go; Magnus had proven to be quite a useful ally, but he had no reason to show her any loyalty. No reason to stand up for her against his parents.

“Clary…” Jocelyn started, almost trying to appeal to her better sense, but she was interrupted by the yelling of the Navy officers from across the dock. Magnus seemed to leap into action, putting his pistol aside and moving towards the helm.

“Well as lovely as this little family moment is, we need to get this ship out of here or we’re all going to be in jail for a very long time. Or a short time, depending on how you look at it. So pirates on board, good law abiding citizens off.”

Glancing from her parents to Magnus and back, Clary only hesitated for the shortest of moments before stepping forward. “What do you need me to do to get this ship moving?”

“Sails out and anchor up, biscuit. We need as much speed as possible very quickly. The winds are in our favour though.”

With one last look at her parents, Clary then moved towards the mast in the center of the ship, catching the look that Luke sent her mother before she set to work.

“I’ll handle the anchor,” she heard Luke say next and she couldn’t help but smile lightly to herself, pulling up her sleeves a little before reaching for one of the many ropes that connected to the sails. Jocelyn seemed to hesitate for a moment, watching everyone leap into action, and Magnus paused on the stairs up to the helm, giving her a once over.

“Come on, Jocelyn. I think we all know that ‘law abiding citizen’ never suited you.”

“I promised we were done with this. I was done with this,” she replied, exasperated a little.

“Yes. For your daughter. Who’s apparently more like you than you’d like.” He paused for a moment, moving up the stairs a little. “Luke, we’ll need the gangplank moved too,” he called, seemingly going back to ignoring the two redheads in the middle of the ship.

Clary was going to do this, she was going to find Simon and she was going to get him back, and she was ready to do that on her own, without help from anyone; but she also knew that, with her mum standing right there, she wanted her to come along. She needed her to. Needed her help, needed her knowledge of the seas, which Clary assumed she had, judging from Magnus’ comments and she’d never known that had been her mother’s life, but it didn’t matter right now.

There were questions that she needed answered, from her mother, from Luke, but right now, none of that mattered.

Simon mattered.

“Mom, please.”

She’d turned away from the ropes after having let down one of the many sails, almost burnt her fingers as the rope came close to slipping right through her fingers, but she managed to hold on, grasp it tightly and tied it right back up before she faced her mother.

“Simon needs us. I need you.” Clary paused for a moment, clearing her throat. “I’m going with or without you, but … but I’d really like if you would come.”

She visibly hesitated, looking towards the gangplank where Luke was now standing. Luke met her eyes, and she shook her head a little. “We promised.”

“I know. But this is more important,” he told her, and she seemed to collapse under the weight of the situation, moving towards the gangplank, and for a second, Clary thought she was going to leave anyway.

And then she reached to help Luke detach it from the ship, and Clary bit back a smile.

“Enough talking, get those sails out now before we get the weight of the Navy on us!” Magnus’ voice echoed down the ship.

“I thought I was the Captain,” Luke retorted, moving to the sails, beginning to pull out the right ropes, and Clary rushed to help him.

“You can earn that back later, Garroway, let’s just finish the actual pirating first.”

“Aye, aye, Captain Bane.”


	2. Revelations

The first thing Clary Fray had done once they reached Tortuga was find something else to wear. Frilly dresses tied together with ribbons were fine for when one was serving pints of ale to drunken sailors, but when helping sail a ship and running around in an attempt to rescue her best friend, Clary really thought that pants were better suited.  
  
And of course finding Simon was the first priority and, after having found more suitable clothes, it was exactly what she wanted to do, but, as Magnus very patiently pointed out after watching her pace up and down the room; they didn’t even know where to begin looking for Simon Lewis.  
  
“I don’t even know why they took him in the first place,” Clary huffed out, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she looked around at the people seated at the table. They’d docked the ship away from the main harbour, rowing themselves towards the shore. Magnus had been all for charging in and making his triumphant return to the pirate haven, but caution had won out. It would do them no good to be mistaken for the actual navy and get blown to bits on the way.  
  
When they’d finally set foot on the island, Clary had fully expected the infamous Magnus Bane to know his way around. He was a pirate, and a well known one at that. Everyone seemed to greet him with a mixture of fear, joy and respect. Even the pirates thought he was a legend, which was something in itself. Clary couldn’t help but be grateful that she’d been lucky enough to get him on her side.  
  
What she hadn’t expected was just how capable her parents were too.  
  
For every person they met that knew Magnus, there seemed to be someone else who knew Luke, who offered to buy him a pint or a glass of rum. He was treated like a friend, an ally, which Clary was struggling to add up. She’d known Luke her whole life. He was a seaman, true, but he worked as a merchant, a common sailor. Not a pirate. But then, he had been so willing to steal the Navy’s best ship to go after Simon. It didn’t take a lot of intelligence to have some suspicions.  
  
But the biggest surprise of all was her mother. She’d known there was something going on from Magnus’ comments, but she’d been too busy working the ship to really talk to her. When Clary hadn’t been doing whatever it took to keep a ship sailing on a four man crew, she’d been sleeping. Or, more accurately, passing out from pure exhaustion. But for a woman who’d worked in the port for as long as she could remember, who worked in the tavern, Jocelyn knew her way around a ship too well. And just occassionally, as they walked through the port, Clary could have sworn someone recognised her mother.  
  
Nothing made sense anymore - at least, nothing other than the fact she needed to find Simon.  
  
The tavern Magnus had lead them to was buzzing and rowdy and vibrant, not too far away from the one at home, and yet entirely different at the same time. Somehow everything felt a little bit off, and Clary was suddenly vividly aware of just what she’d agreed to do in order to find her best friend. But her parents were with her, so it couldn’t be so bad, right?  
  
Either way, Clary was worried. But no one else seemed to linger on the fact, as Magnus talked with the barmaid who he seemed to know quite well, before leading them to a table through the back where they settled in.  
  
Or at least, Magnus, Luke and Jocelyn had settled; Clary was still pacing up and down, all but wearing a rut into the wooden floor.  
  
“Biscuit, if you keep pacing you’re going to make me dizzy,” Magnus commented briefly, taking a sip of his drink. He looked perfectly at home there, more than he had anywhere else so far. She couldn’t help but be surprised at how comfortable her parents were too, though.  
It was probably for the best.  
  
“I just need to do something.”  
  
Her parents were at ease, Magnus was at ease, and Clary couldn’t help but be frustrated by it.  
  
“We’ll get to that part later. For now, we need time,” Luke promised her gently, and somehow the fact that it was Luke saying it made it sound better. She couldn’t truly relax though. Even if she might want to. This wasn’t some adventure, this was a rescue mission. She didn’t stop to consider that maybe it could be both.  
  
“Simon doesn’t have time. He could be anywhere, they could be doing anything to him. What if they-”  
  
“Kill him?” Magnus suggested flippantly, and Clary snapped her jaw shut. She didn’t want to think about that chance. It was all too real. “You don’t go to all the trouble of kidnapping someone just to kill them off. Trust me.”  
  
“But why the hell would they kidnap Simon?”  
  
Clary loved her best friend, truly, she did, but she could think of no reason for anyone to want to kidnap him. He was a baker’s apprentice, his family, no matter how lovely, was of no real significance and she couldn’t begin to imagine that Simon had done something wrong. This was Simon they were talking about. Goofy and clumsy and sweet, wouldn’t hurt a fly, that Simon.  
  
“Maybe it wasn’t Simon they were after.”  
  
The suggestion was innocent enough, but the implication wasn’t and Clary wasn’t sure what to make of it. Up until today she hadn’t known anything about her parents’ past, hadn’t considered herself associated with any of this, but now that she knew she was … could it be her fault that Simon had been taken? Luke and Jocelyn clearly had plenty of things they’d never told her. Could one of those things have something to do with all of this?  
  
“If they were after me, they would have left a message, right?” Clary pressed, and Magnus pursed his lips a little, seeming to think it over.  
  
“Yes. But maybe he had something they wanted,” Magnus pointed out. Clary shook her head a little. Simon wasn’t poor, but he wasn’t rich either. He’d never have something worth stealing. Certainly not in the grand manor that he’d been kidnapped, anyway. They would have just taken what they wanted, right?  
  
Opening her mouth to speak, to object somehow, she was cut off by Jocelyn, who got up suddenly, moving towards her. “Mom -”  
  
“Clary, where’s your necklace?”  
  
Clary reached up, automatically searching for the necklace that her mother had gotten her years ago, the gold medaillon. Her mother had it waiting for her one day when she’d gotten home, a present. It looked expensive, more than they could afford, which was why she’d valued it. That and for the sentimentallity of it all.  
  
But it wasn’t there. Clary shook her head a little in explanation, and Jocelyn jumped in at the lack of an answer.  
  
“Where did you leave it? Is it on the ship?” Jocelyn asked, and from the tone of her voice, Clary got the idea it was important. More important than she’d realised.  
  
“I..” Clary started, thinking back, trying to remember. And when she did, her mouth went dry. “I gave it to Simon.” They’d been down on the beach, just a few days ago, and she’d gone diving for coral. Rather than risk losing her necklace or have it getting tangled in something, she’d given it to Simon for safekeeping. And only now did she realise that she’d never gotten it back. He must have still had it.  
  
And just a few hours later, he’d been kidnapped right in front of her eyes.  
  
“Oh God, Clary…”  
  
“Jocelyn?” Luke asked, a frown on his face. “What is it?” Jocelyn shook her head softly, meeting Luke’s eyes. They seemed to have a wordless conversation for a moment. in the way that only her parents could, before Luke rubbed a hand across his temple, shaking his head.  
  
“Oh, shit.”  
  
Clary looked between them, bewildered, and glad Magnus seemed just as confused. But he wasn’t quite as patient as Clary in waiting for an explanation. Because whilst Clary just sat there, looking between them, Magnus raised an eyebrow.  
  
“I’m sorry, do you two mind filling us in?” Magnus asked, in a tone that made it clear it wasn’t really a request.  
  
“Isla de Muerta,” Jocelyn said, and whilst the name meant absolutely nothing to Clary, it clearly meant something to Magnus, as he slammed his mug back onto the table, staring at her mother across the table.  
  
“You gave your daughter a piece of that as a necklace?” Magnus asked, incredulous.  
  
“It made sense! I always thought they’d come for me! He never knew about her, it made sense.”  
  
“Well, obviously he found out! Only he took the wrong teenager!”  
  
“Hey!” Clary cut in, not exactly fond of the useless arguing. “Does someone mind explaining what is going on to me?”  
  
“Have you ever heard of the Treasure of Cortés?” Magnus asked her, sighing slightly but seeming to have some patience for her at least. Clary shook her head mutely, wondering where all this was going, but too afraid to ask.  
  
“Around about the late 16th century, the Spanish were in the middle of raiding everything in sight along the Mexican coast. During that time, they found an Aztec colony. Now, rather than continue to fight the Spanish and lose more people, the Aztecs presented the invading army with a chest, filled with precisely 882 gold coins. They said it was blood money, to stem the slaughter wrecked upon them,” Magnus began, getting to his feet. As Clary listened, she couldn’t help but note how good a storyteller he was. “Now, the hope was that the Spanish would take what they were given and go. But such as they were, they decided that if the Aztecs could find nearly 900 gold coins to make them go away, they clearly had more, and that was worth pillaging.”  
  
“Sounds like pirates, really,” Clary commented.  
  
“Hey, I’ve never decimated whole colonies to get what I want, thank you very much,” Magnus defended. “Now, after the Spanish were done murdering everyone in sight, the story goes that the Aztec Gods were angry at what had happened, and rightfully so. They cursed the treasure the Spanish had been given, meaning that anyone who removed the treasure from the chest would be cursed for all eternity. The only way to lift this curse would be to return the treasure, and repay the blood debt owed to the Aztecs.”  
  
Clary paused, mulling the story over. Her parents didn’t exactly look surprised at any of this, which made her think that they’d heard all this before. Not that it mattered - she needed to hear it for herself, to make sense of what was going. “Okay. Cursed treasure. What does this have to do with anything?”  
  
“I’ll get to it,” Magnus assured her. “So anyway, the Spanish sailed off with the treasure, and ultimately discovered their fate. Rather than live with the curse, they all summarily returned the treasure and repaid the debt. But before they could reach shore, their ship was attacked and it eventually ran aground on the Isla de Muerta. A sole survivor hid the treasure deep within the island, before eventually dying himself. And that it where it stayed. Legend states that the magic surrounding the treasure spread, making the island in question near impossible to find. The treasure is the ultimate pirate’s goal. A legend in itself - unquestionable riches with unknowable circumstances.” Magnus paused, taking a deep drink. “Only, really, we can cut the mystery, because anything that involves the words ‘cursed treasure’ is definitely not worth it.”  
  
“I still don’t see what the cursed treasure has to do with anything,” Clary couldn’t help but say, gaze fixed upon Magnus. The story was interesting enough, but her best friend was missing and she still didn’t see what any of this had to do with that. “What’s it got to do with my necklace?”  
  
“What did it look like, Clary? Your lovely, completely innocent necklace?” Magnus pressed.  
  
“It was a medallion, made of gold.There’s a skull on it …” Clary trailed off, glancing from Magnus to her mother and back, things slowly but surely falling into place. “It’s part of the treasure, isn’t it?”  
  
“There we go,” Magnus muttered, taking a seat at the table again, watching as Jocelyn moved closer.  
  
“Clary… I gave it to you to keep it safe. You have to understand, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” Jocelyn urged her, ignoring the soft snort Magnus gave in the background, hiding in his mug of rum.  
  
“You gave me a piece of cursed gold?”  
  
She paused for a moment. “Yes.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“To keep it away from your father.” It was Luke that spoke this time, a voice of calm in the storm. She wasn’t sure if the calm would do her much good, though.  
  
“My father?”  
  
Clary had never known the man. Her mother had told her stories, about how he was a Navy man, about how he’d served his country and died at sea, but somehow Clary felt like none of that was true.  
  
“You said he was in the Navy,” she stated, turning to her mother, frowning at her. “Is any of that true?”

“He was in the Navy,” Luke replied for her, clearly taking pity on how heartbroken Jocelyn looked. “A long, long time ago. And he was wrecked at sea. But he didn’t die.”  
  
“What happened?”  
  
There was a part of her that couldn’t help but feel angry, angry that she’d been lied to, that her mother had apparently kept the truth from her; but Clary knew her mother well enough to know that she’d have her reasons. Which didn’t mean she wasn’t angry, but it also meant she wanted to know what it was that had happened.  
  
“He was stranded on an island for about three days before he was picked up by a pirate ship. Rather than be executed on the spot, he joined the crew and eventually worked his way up to being Captain. He was… notorious,” Luke explained cautiously, but Magnus rolled his eyes, losing patience.  
  
“Valentine Morgenstern. I’m sure you’ve probably heard of him,” Magnus added dryly. Luke exhaled, clearly wanting to do things more gently, but it wasn’t as if they had the luxury of time for that.  
  
“Valentine Morgenstern’s my father?”  
  
Even Clary had heard about Valentine Morgensterm, every single person who lived near the seven seas had heard about Valentime Morgenstern; to say he was notorious was an understatement. He was known for being ruthless, for showing no mercy, for being the worst kind of pirate and now they were telling me that same ruthless pirate was her father?  
  
Really, Clary was glad she was already sitting down; this was a lot to take in.  
  
“He wasn’t like that when I knew him. When we knew him,” Jocelyn butted in. “He was a pirate, yes, but not… not as bad as he is now. But he became obsessed with the Isla de Muerta, with everything it promised. None of us really thought it was real, that the treasure was real, but then he found it and… everything got worse. It was the last thing we could do. Steal a piece of the treasure before leaving. By taking it away from him, from his crew, it meant they couldn’t break the curse. It was all the revenge we had.”  
  
Staring at her mother, Clary tried to think of what she could even say in response to that, eyes going slightly wide when she realised something.  
  
“Does that mean Valentine has Simon?”  
  
“You want my best guess? Morgenstern finally got bored of being cursed, worked out what happened, and came to find the last piece of the treasure. It was just bad luck your friend had it instead of you. Or your mother,” Magnus told her.  
  
“What does that mean? What will he do to Simon?”  
  
If she’d been worried before, it was ten times worse now, panic making her voice skip a little as she pushed herself up from her seat, now more than ever wanting to do something. If her best friend was in the hands of the world’s most notorious pirate, they had to get him the hell out of there.  
  
“He knew I was pregnant when we left so…” Jocelyn started, shaking her head a little.  
  
“Valentine has no idea whether he has a son or a daughter. Since the treasure was with Simon, he probably thinks Simon’s his son. Which means he’s safe, for now. As long as he plays along with that,” Luke assured her, but Magnus snorted a little.  
  
“It’s like I said, biscuit. You don’t kidnap someone for no reason. He wanted the boy and he wanted the boy alive. Simon will be fine, at least until they reach the island, if you want my best guess. After that…” Magnus trailed off, shrugging.  
  
“So we know they’re going to the island. Means we know where we have to be. We should get going,” Clary said, nodding her head, making to move for the exit. Magnus reached out, though, catching her hand and pulling her back.  
  
“Firstly, the four of us cannot take on Valentine Morgenstern alone. Secondly, it’s not that easy, biscuit.”  
  
“Why is it not that easy? We know where Simon is, we should go and get him out of there.”  
  
“Ah. Well, we know Simon is likely on board Valentine’s ship, and they’re heading for the Isla de Muerta. But… we don’t precisely know where the island is,” Magnus explained. Clary stared at him.  
  
“So who does know? How do we find it?”  
  
“It’s protected by mermaids,” Luke told her, sighing deeply. “And I don’t think they’ll be happy to share after what happened the last time.”  
  
“That’s because mermaids are indecisive little menances that never want to help anyone and are literally never happy,” Magnus complained.  
  
Clary couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at him, looking over at her parents to see if Magnus’ little statement meant anything to them. “You don’t like mermaids?,” she asked, dismissing the fact that, up until two seconds ago, she hadn’t even known mermaids were real.  
  
“Mermaids don’t like me. I just chose to return the favour,” Magnus sniffed. “Anyway, technically we can… sort of find the place without them.”  
  
“How?”  
  
“What’s the thing you want most in the world?” Magnus asked her.  
  
“To get my best friend back.”  
  
“Great, then we just need to get my compass back,” Magnus said brightly, like it was nothing.  
  
“Do you even know who has it?”  
  
“Mermaids.”  
  
Clary nodded, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
  
“Okay. Looks like we’re gonna have to talk to some mermaids then.”  
  
“Wonderful,” Magnus commented dryly, finishing his drink in one long swallow. “I’ll just go see about getting us a crew then,” he told them, getting to his feet and heading for the bar again. Because apparently that was where you found a crew.  
  
“Clary..”  
  
She turned from where she’d watched Magnus retreat to the bar, fixing her gaze on her mother. Jocelyn looked apologetic, glancing over at Luke, seemingly hesitating before she spoke again.  
  
“Please know that --”  
  
“I don’t want to talk about this,” Clary said, interrupting her. She wanted to find Simon, wanted to make sure her best friend was okay and she knew full well that so many things had come to light this night that she would have to talk to her mother about it sooner rather than later, but … not right now.  
  
Today had been a big enough mess as it were, filled with new impressions and revelations that had taken Clary utterly by surprise; she needed time to wrap her head around it all. And she hadn’t had that time yet.  
  
“Clary, your mother --” Luke tried, but Clary shook her head, holding up her hand.  
  
“I know, okay? You don’t have to tell me about good intentions and wanting to keep me safe and … I know. I just … I need to think. And I also need to not think, because it doesn’t matter right now, Luke. Simon is all that matters now.”  
  
Not giving her parents the chance to reply, Clary turned on her heels and walked away, ready to help Magnus find the crew they needed.


	3. Jolly Sailor Bold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy early New Year!

“I hear they can grant wishes.”

“What are you, drunk? They’re mermaids, not genies.”

“It’s true!”

“Well, I heard that a ship strayed into their waters when they weren’t wanted, and the whole crew just disappeared. No survivors.”

“What the hell happened to them?”

“They ate them, of course! They’re beautiful, mermaids, but vicious. Stripped the flesh from their bones and left ‘em to rot. Now the ship just drifts on the seas, nothin’ but ghosts.”

“I heard their tears can cure any illness. More valuable than rubies, ‘specially if you can catch one alive.”

“I heard a mermaid’s kiss can save you from drowning.”

“Yeah, but I’m sure as hell not kissing nothin’ that’s gonna chew the flesh from my bones.”

“I heard about this crew that tried to catch one. Catch one they did, but then the damned thing charmed three men into slitting their own throats, and ran off.”

“And _I_ heard whichever one of you stands here long enough is going to be the first one Captain Garroway feeds to them as bait.”

The three sailors leaning on the rails jumped at the sound of Magnus’ voice, instantly scuttling off back to whatever jobs they were supposed to be doing at the time. Magnus was good with the crew, or so Clary had gathered. They liked him as a friend and ally, but also respected him enough to do what he said. It was a fine line to catch, and she wasn’t sure if the men in question had spooked themselves a little or if Magnus was just that good. Either way, it worked.

There had been talk like that ever since they’d started to approach the little island, which was apparently mermaid territory, and notoriously so. For all their infamy, all Clary had managed to gather was that no one really knew all that much about mermaids. She was struggling to work out what was real and what wasn’t. One of the crew swore up and down that an old lover of his had been a mermaid, because she sang so sweetly and disappeared into the ocean one night. The others said she must have just been desperate to get away from him.

Clary didn’t really know what was true and what wasn’t, but rather than focus on rumours and things she couldn’t control, she’d focused on what she could. It had been a fairly efficient process, for Magnus to locate a crew willing to take on their mission, which she was grateful for. Whilst part of her had almost expected Magnus to take control, apparently Luke was the Captain, and Magnus just the first mate. And Luke… well, no matter how she felt towards her parents right now, she had to admit they were good at this life. Whatever that meant.

Choosing to fix on what she could do to help, though, Clary kept her mind focused on Simon, and what she could do to get him back. She’d done her own reading on everything she could find - which given that the library was technically that of a Naval officer, didn’t really cover mermaids and cursed treasure. But she’d at least managed to find a map. Even if Magnus constantly pointed out it would do her precisely no good.

Right now, though, Clary was nestled in the rigging of one of the sails of the ship, watching them drift slowly towards the shore of the island. Apparently, it was better for them to have land on their side when they finally confronted the mermaids. Clary didn’t see what difference it made, but still. She didn’t care, as long as it got them closer to Simon. She was out of sight of the three sailors who’d been gossiping below her, and she’d thought she was out of sight of Magnus too.

“You make a habit of listening to all the scuttlebutt this lot have to say?”

Well. Maybe not. It wasn’t like she was _trying_ to hide, after all.

“I don’t really feel like listening to my more reliable sources.”

Meaning her parents, who still seemed very intent on _talking_ about everything they’d kept from her, but Clary still didn’t really feel like talking about it. Thankfully, the hustle and bustle of the ship made it easy enough for her to hide away.

“Is any of what they say true?” Magnus shrugged idly, leaning back against the railing of the ship, coat flapping gently in the breeze.

“As much of it as you would expect from a bunch of sailors straight from Tortuga,” Magnus told her. “Mermaids are fairly private. Most people never see one, but that doesn’t stop the whole thing being sensationalised and blown out of proportion.”

She raised an eyebrow at Magnus, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“That really doesn’t answer my question.”

Magnus smiled wryly, and expression that made her think he knew exactly how little he was saying. “You afraid, Miss Fray?”

“I just want to know what I’m walking in to. And how likely they are to help us.”

“Nothing you can’t handle, I’m sure,” Magnus assured her. “As to how likely they are to help us… we’ll just need to convince them, won’t we?”

Clary couldn’t help but smile lightly at that, slowly nodding her head.

“Well, so far I’ve managed to convince over a dozen pirates to help me, so I think I’m doing alright.”

“Well, you do have a few advantages there. But not too shabby.” Magnus pushed off the railing, holding out a hand for her. “Now, would you like to come down and see where we’ve landed?”

She took his hand, letting him guide her down the rig. “Yes, I would.” Pausing briefly, she looked around before glancing up at Magnus. “You sure you’re okay with us asking your worst nightmares for help?”

“Oh, biscuit. Mermaids are definitely not my worst nightmares.”

“You don’t seem to like them much though.”

“We don’t get on. I can’t imagine why they took such a disliking to me, I’m perfectly lovely.”

Scoffing, Clary raised an eyebrow at Magnus again.

“Oh yes, _perfectly_ lovely.”

“You rescued me from jail!” he pointed out, as if that somehow proved his point.

“You say that as if it proves that you’re perfectly lovely! You were in _jail_!”

“A tragic misunderstanding, I can assure you.”

“Of course it was.”

Rather than answer, Magnus led her towards one of the little rowboats, which was ready at the side of the ship. The moonlight glinted off the surface of the water, the stars lighting up the sky around them. The crew were bustling about, but there was a certain nervous energy to it all. Luke was hovering by the rowboat, as if to join them, but Magnus held up his hand.

“We agreed you were staying behind,” Magnus pointed out, in an exasperated tone that clearly illustrated they’d had this talk before.

“We didn’t agree you were taking Clary with you,” Luke pointed out, looking at her with a certain amount of worry in his eyes. She almost felt bad. Almost.

“I’m the one who needs their help, aren’t I?”

“There’s no telling what will happen after last time. You wouldn’t be safe,” Luke pointed out, reaching out for her shoulder, a move of affection that Clary could still appreciate, even if she was still mad at him. Him and her mother both.

“I think I’ll be safe with Magnus.”

There was a pause, and she could feel that Luke was worried. But then, someone had to stay with the ship, and if Magnus was going to find the mermaids, Luke was the logical choice to stay… right?

“I’ll look after her, Luke. You have my word, she’ll be perfectly safe,” Magnus said solemnly.

There was a long silence, and Clary watched as Magnus and Luke seemed to stare each other down. Magnus was wild and unpredictable, but he cared. And Luke… Luke was dedicated and loyal and she knew he’d want to do whatever was best for her. But there was also their mission. Magnus said this was the only way. Someone had to go. And like Clary had said - this was for her, for Simon. She should go.

But for all she didn’t know about her parents’ relationship with Magnus, she knew they trusted each other. There was an understanding between them. And when Luke stepped back from the edge of the ship, it showed.

“Fine. Be careful,” Luke relented, holding out an arm to gesture them on board.

Magnus went first, bounding into the little boat, making it rock slightly against the side of the ship. But he held out his hand for Clary, helping her balance as she made the crossing from one vessel to the other. Luke hovered nearby, still looking as concerned as ever. More than that, though, Clary also spied her mother, watching from the stern of the ship. Her red hair seemed to light up in the moonlight, and Clary found herself surprised at how at home Jocelyn Fray looked on a ship with a bunch of pirates.

She looked like a pirate herself. And it suited her. But rather than the ruthless sort of pirate, Clary realised that no matter what her parents had wanted for themselves, they’d given it all up. For her. Magnus had said so himself, when they’d been stealing the Interceptor. She might be mad, but they were still a family.

So Clary shot her mother a weak smile, and reached out over the railings to squeeze Luke’s hand. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a little boat ride, right?” Clary reassured him, and Luke chuckled softly, shaking his head a little.

“Just like your mother,” he murmured.

Before they could get into too much of a discussion, Luke signalled to the crew, and Clary fell back into the rowboat, watching as they were lowered down the side of the ship. Rather than watching the ship, though, she turned her eyes to the island, and the little cove they were moored in. It seemed idyllic - or it would be in the daylight. Sandy beaches, palm trees, peace and quiet. She could spot a few rock coves and pools in the distance, the light of the moon catching on the water.

If anything, the dark made it all feel a little more mysterious, though. It was no wonder the crew had practically been telling ghost stories to each other. Apparently, it was no secret these were mermaid waters, and the shipwreck on the _other_ side of the island had given a few of them a few superstitions to worry about. For a bunch of amoral pirates, they sure did worry about superstition. But Clary had no such compunctions. What she was aware of was how the moonlight seemed to draw everything in, and make it all the harder to see.

“Why didn’t we wait until dawn?” Clary asked, looking back over her shoulder to Magnus, who’d taken hold of the oars. He started to gently push them away from the ship, but as the moved a current caught them, drifting them away from the ship and around the island.

“I told you. They’re private. These aren’t fairytale mermaids that sit around on rocks sunning themselves and brushing their hair. _Those_ don’t exist. If they have to surface at all, they do it at night. All the harder to be spotted by those they don’t want to see them. And if someone _does_ see them, they’ll probably blame it on the rum,” Magnus explained casually, using the oars to guide them around the coast. Clary idly wondered about the lack of actual rowing he seemed to be doing, but she wasn’t exactly complaining. As long as they were moving in the right direction.

Clary couldn’t help but peer over the edge of the boat a little, her eyes skimming the surface for movement. She didn’t even know what she was looking for. Were mermaids that illusive? Would she never see them coming? Did they already know they were here, or was there some trick to getting them to the surface? Mermaid waters or not, Clary couldn’t imagine mermaids lingering this close to the shore out of habit. But then, they had sailed straight through their waters. Surely they knew.

She couldn’t decide if that thought reassured her or not, frankly.

“What happened the last time?” Clary asked, mulling over what Luke has said before they boarded. Magnus raised an eyebrow at her, puzzled. “Luke said there was no telling what could happen because of last time. So what happened?”

Magnus scoffed a little, waving his hand.

“Just a tragic misunderstanding.”

“You seem to have a lot of those,” Clary pointed out. Magnus rolled his eyes, shaking his head a little.

“They might not be entirely… _enthusiastic_ about helping. That’s all. But that’s where you come in, biscuit. I’m sure you can convince them to help save poor Sherman.”

“Simon.”

“That’s what I said.”

Clary might have wanted to ask more, but just as they started to round the corner and drift out of sight of the Interceptor, Clary could have sworn she saw a flash of something in the water. Movement.

Really, it could have been anything. Just a fish. The waves and the tide lapping across the surface and towards the shore. The oars flicking in the water. Maybe it was the night, maybe it was the atmosphere, or maybe it was the feeling of her mission weighing down on her and making her paranoid, but she was fairly sure it wasn’t _just_ a fish.

If anything, Magnus only confirmed that when he pulled the oars out of the water and into the boat. Clary looked up to him, her eyes a little wide, her pulse racing a little. This was what she needed to do, right? She needed the mermaids to find Simon. And she needed to save Simon.

And yet she could still hear the sailor’s stories echoing in her ears, of crews devoured and people drowned deep below the waves. Luke hadn’t thought it was safe, and even Magnus said it could be risky as far as reaction went. What if the mermaids weren’t interested in talking? What if things were worse than Magnus thought?

She trusted Magnus though. And Luke obviously did too - she could see that in his eyes back at the ship. So just needed to do that. Trust the pirate she’d rescued from jail literally a few days ago. More importantly, trust the judgement of the people who raised and loved her and were letting her do this without _too_ many protests.

Clary watched carefully, eyes alert for the slightest bit of movement, but as soon as she thought she caught something, it seemed to disappear like a mirage. Flashes of moonlight and colours that shouldn’t be there, of waves lapping for no reason. It was strange, really. If they were so private, why would they allow themselves to be seen?

But then she noticed Magnus was rolling his eyes, and it clicked into place.

They were being toyed with.

“I don’t have all night for you to finish your little games, you know,” Magnus called, and Clary peered up at him, her eyes still on the water. She opened her mouth to speak, to question Magnus on what an earth their plan was, but he simply shook his head at her a little, and Clary pressed her lips together, nodding. Now evidently wasn’t the time. She just wished she knew what the plan actually _was_.

Before Clary could worry about it too much, though, the movement seemed to build in the water, and Clary drew her arms and legs in a little, careful to keep her weight at the centre of the vessel. Magnus had himself braced against the side, watching too, but the fact was neither of them could really be prepared for what came next.

Because the boat was struck with a force so great Clary actually saw them leave the surface of the water, colliding back with a crash. The little rowing boat was hardly built for such antics, and as soon as they hit the surface it flipped, sending Clary and Magnus flying into the water.

That in itself would have been enough. But what Clary had forgotten to count on as she tried to keep herself afloat was the oars.

As she hit the water, one of them collided with her skull, and the pain left her head ringing, feeling dizzy. By the time she’d shaken it off, Clary realised she’d sunk a lot further beneath the waves than she’d planned. It was dark, and whilst she might have expected the moon to guide her upwards, she couldn’t work out which way to go.

There was another problem though, as she was aptly reminded by a flash of a tail near her, the currents stirring in the water. Apparently, relations with the mermaids were worse than Magnus had expected.

Despite the fact Clary had no idea where she was going, she struck out with her hands, realising she had to move if she intended to surface at all. Before she got very far, though, something strong wrapped itself around her chest, dragging her in the opposite direction to where she wanted to go. Clary remembered the stories, of mermaids drowning wayward sailors, of the men on the ship who seemed convinced that mermaids were some sort of carnivorous piranhas. And well, she figured she had to try _something_. So she squirmed, expending what little precious air she had to try and get free. It was no use, though, the grip was too strong. This was it.

She wondered if her parents would go and rescue Simon for her.

Although it might have been a little early for giving up at all, Clary realised that she might have jumped to the wrong conclusion when her head broke through the surface, and she took in a gasp of air. It seemed that rather than being drowned, she was being saved.

Huh. Fancy that.

“You should be more careful. Wouldn’t want a pretty thing like you to drown,” a voice came from behind her. It was warm, full, with a certain accent Clary didn’t think she was familiar with to it. And also decidedly female. Turning around in the arms that kept her afloat and had pulled her to safety, Clary figured she might as well get a look at her first real mermaid - became what else could it be?

And good Lord, she wasn’t disappointed.

The girl was beautiful. Big brown eyes and warm, full lips set off the warmer tones of her skin, and dark, thick hair fell around her in cascades. Her eyes sparkled with mirth and joy and Clary was fascinated. She’d heard the stories, of course, of men being charmed to the depths by mermaids - the crew liked to talk. She hadn’t quite believed it at the time. Who would be so stupid as to let a pretty girl drown them for the promise of a kiss?

Now that she had her own mermaid, Clary thought she could see the appeal.

“T-thank you,” she sputtered, very aware of how she was grasping onto the mermaid’s arms to stay afloat, letting go with one hand to brush her wet hair away from her face with a somewhat shaking hand, coughing as she attempted to catch her breath.

The mermaid seemed to take over the job of sorting Clary's hair, gently pushing the wet strands out of her face as she spoke. “Are you alright? You took quite a tumble there. I apologise, my siblings are… over enthusiastic.”

“I’m okay, I think,” Clary offered, still somewhat mesmerized and distracted by the vision before her. Managing to pull her eyes away for a moment, she tried to look around, to make sure Magnus was alright as well, but it was seconds later that she felt a finger on her cheek, turning her head back around.

“You think?” the mermaid asked, arching an eyebrow in Clary's direction.

She nodded slowly, glancing to the side without turning her head, then focusing back on the mermaid in front of her. “I’ll be better when I know my friend’s alright.”

“Oh, he’s fine, I’m sure,” the mermaid reassured her, and Clary became aware of the fact that she was mostly playing with her hair instead of fixing it at this point. It was… more than a little distracting, to say the least.

Clearing her throat, she kicked her legs in the water, only then realising she’d simply been holding on to the mermaid, who easily kept the both of them afloat and she tried to move away a little. “Do you see him?” She looked around again, left and right, spotting the flipped-over boat, but not Magnus, not yet. “I don’t see him.”

The mermaid swam around her lazily, shrugging a little as she moved. “He’ll be fine.” She reached for the boat, slipping under the waves before easily righting the boat, although it seemed the oars were long gone. “All yours,” she offered, swimming in circles around the small craft.

It was a little bit of a struggle, but Clary managed to pull herself back into the boat, swinging her legs over the side and landing in a wet heap on the floor, exhaling heavily. Truth be told, she felt little safer in the boat than she had outside of it; though something could be said for how much safer she’d felt with the mermaid close, a firm grip on her arms, holding her afloat, but she wasn’t entirely sure if she was ready to admit that out loud yet.

Instead, she pushed herself to her feet, standing a little unbalanced as she looked around again, keeping one hand on the side of the boat out of fear of falling over again.

“Magnus?”

“He’ll be fine,” the mermaid told her again, pulling herself up on the side of the boat a little, folding her arms along the edge, her chin resting on her arms. “How do you know him?”

Her added weight to the side of the boat made it rock a little, and Clary pointedly sat down in some attempt to save herself from falling overboard again. The water had never scared her; her mother taught her how to swim when she was a little girl; but it wasn’t just water she’d be falling into again.

“He’s helping me save my friend.”

“For a price, I’m sure.”

“No…” Clary trailed off, frowning a little, still holding on to the side of the boat. “He’s named no price.”

“That doesn’t meant there isn’t one. Magnus Bane doesn’t do anything for free.”

“I don’t care. I’d do anything to get my friend back, whatever price Magnus wants me to pay, I’ll pay.”

“He must be very dear to you,” the mermaid said softly, leaning forward a little, the boat swaying gently with the movement.

“He is.” She paused for a moment, not entirely sure why she felt compelled to tell this mermaid why she was here, but then she supposed she was going to have to explain why she needed their help at some point anyway. Unless Magnus had some grand scheme in place that involved lying about why they were, but well … if that was the case, he should’ve informed her of that sooner.

“It’s my fault he got taken. So I’ll do whatever it takes to get him back.”

Before the mermaid could pursue the subject any further, there was an eruption in the water not too far away, a splash of limbs and water. Clary started, looking over, and although it was dark and hard to see, there was one thing that definitely _wasn’t_ hard to make out.

“You know, half drowned is _not_ my best look.”

“Magnus!,” Clary called out, relief obvious in her voice as she moved to the side of the boat he was closest to and watched as Magnus swam over, holding out a hand to him, helping him inside. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m just fine. Being toyed with by mermaids is apparently the entrance fee,” Magnus said a little bitterly, pulling his sodden coat from his shoulders as he gotten into the boat, letting it drop to the bottom of the craft. “Are you alright, biscuit?”

“I’m okay,” she assured him, turning around. “She …. saved me.”

She trailed off a little, eyes focused on where the mermaid who had saved her had just been, but it seemed she had moved away. There was a moment where Clary couldn’t help but feel sad about it, as if the loss of her presence was something great and upsetting, but she tried to dismiss the thought, instead turning back to Magnus.

“So does the fact that we’re still alive mean that they’ll at least hear us out?”

“I’ll listen,” the mermaid that had rescued her offered, resurfacing from the water with a soft smile on her lips. “But to you. Not to him.” Magnus scoffed a little, sitting down in the boat, beginning to wring out of his jacket.

“You know, Isabelle, one day you’ll need to inform me what I did you make you all hate me so much,” Magnus commented blithely, and the mermaid in question simply shrugged, as if she didn’t really need to explain. Clary would like to know too, but frankly at that particularly moment, she was more distracted by the fact that she had the mermaid’s name. Isabelle.

It was as beautiful as she was, really.

As Clary watched she could make out a second figure in the water, shifting around just below where Isabelle was, seemingly impatient. She remembered when Isabelle had rescued her, she’d said something about her siblings tipping the boat over. She hadn’t come alone, which made sense, really. Someone had to have been holding Magnus up after all, right? He’d taken a long time to surface. Too long, almost.

Before Clary got a chance to speak - whether it was to voice her concerns or to explain what it was she wanted, the second mermaid surfaced in the water, blonde hair vividly bright under the moonlight. Everything was so dark, and then there was this creature.

“Izzy, are we done? Alec’s going to catch us if we’re not careful.”

Clary didn’t know what she’d been expecting, when she thought about it logically. It shouldn’t have been a surprise. But all the stories Clary had heard had focused on one very specific thing. Mermaids were always beautiful women. Very, very beautiful women. And Clary certainly couldn’t disagree with that on Isabelle’s part. When Isabelle had mentioned siblings, though, Clary had assumed she meant sisters.

But the second mermaid in the water was most definitely not a woman.

“In a minute, Jace,” Izzy reassured him, but Clary was vividly aware of the fact that instead of looking at the newcomer, all of Izzy’s attention seemed to be focused on her.

“Izzy…”

“They came for a reason. I think we should find out what it is,” Izzy told him, placating him gently. Jace sighed, not seeming too pleased about matters, but Izzy wouldn’t be budged. That had to be a good sign, right? At least they were being given a chance. One Clary wouldn’t waste.

“We’re looking for Isla de Muerta,” Clary said, briefly glancing over at the mermaid called Jace before focusing back on Isabelle. She paused for a moment, not sure if she was expecting a reaction; then she continued. “My mom gave me a necklace, it was one of the medallions from the treasure. My friend had it for safe keeping and then he got taken, along with it. We need to get him back, before something bad happens to him.”

“Isla de Muerta?” Isabelle echoed, biting her lip a little before shaking her head a little. “Nothing good comes of going there.”

Clary had heard nothing but bad news about this dreaded island, but the fact was that she didn’t really care. It could be the most dangerous place in the world (which some people said it was) and it could be the worst plan in the world (there was no real plan yet) and she’d still want to go.

“I just want my friend back.”

“It’s dangerous. Especially if there are other men there,” Isabelle pointed out, but the other mermaid seemed less convinced.

“How do we know this isn’t just some plan you two made up in the tavern and are just going through with to get rich?” he pressed, although there was a note of hesitation there, of almost doubt. Doubt was something Clary could work with.

“If I wanted to get rich, this isn’t the treasure I’d go after. I know about the curse,” she said, hesitating for a moment before turning to look at Isabelle, leaning a little closer to her. “Simon’s my best friend. He’s innocent in all this, has absolutely nothing to do with it. I just want to get him home safe.”

“Wait, they took Simon?” the mermaid asked, seemingly surprised, edging a little closer to the boat.

Clary nodded, frowning a little at the mermaid’s interest in her friend. “Yes, they took Simon.”

“We have to help her,” the mermaid instantly declared, turning to Izzy, who rightly looked a little taken aback.

“You were just -!”

“I know!”

“Alec-”

“I _know_ , Iz. But… we just have to, okay?”

Glancing from one mermaid to the other, Clary then briefly looked over at Magnus, clearing her throat before she spoke.

“So does that mean you’ll help?”

“Help with what?” a new voice asked from the shadows. Clary turned a little, looking out to the side of the boat to see yet another mermaid arriving on the scene - this one with darker hair and a slimmer build than the other one, although he and Izzy looked like they could be related easily enough. It wasn’t hard to imagine either, from the way they spoke. Siblings, she’d mentioned, after all. Plural.

“Alec…” Jace tailed off, apparently unwilling to explain.

“Help with _what_ ?” The mermaid called Alec turned his attention to the boat, narrowing his eyes as he observed the occupants. “Are you talking to _Magnus Bane_? I thought I told you to ignore them.”

“We were just going to scare them off, _hermano_ ,” Izzy reassured him, but the other mermaid shook his head.

“I can see that went well, then.” Alec sighed, dragging a hand through his damp hair. “What does the little girl want?”

“I need your help to find Isla de Muerte,” Clary said, biting back a comment about how _she was not a little girl_ , doubting it would do her any favors right now. From what she’d gathered so far, this Alec was in charge, which meant that he was the one she needed to convince.

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“Because they should know better than to even think of agreeing to that,” Alec replied, shooting a look at the other mermaids.

“Alec…” Jace appealed again.

“No. We all remember what happened the last time. It’s not happening. Now come on, let’s go.”

“I wasn’t there last time. Neither was Simon. He doesn’t deserve to get hurt or … or _die_ , because of mistakes that other people made,” Clary tried to argue, trying not to linger on the thoughts of the possibility of Simon dying, looking away for a brief moment before turning to Magnus, for some reason hoping that maybe he could help convince this mermaid.

Magnus was oddly distracted when Clary started to try and catch his attention, but after a moment, he seemed to get it, shifting forward so he was a little closer to the edge of the boat. Clary wasn’t exactly reassured by the move. “Alec, right? Alec Lightwood?” There was a momentary pause before the mermaid reluctantly nodded, far more hostile that Clary had expected. “Look, I understand why you would be… uncomfortable with the idea. But we need to go there. The people that caused all of this are going back. This is your chance - our chance, to finish this.” Magnus cleared his throat, pausing for a moment. “And if you can’t give us a personal guide, you could at least return my compass. Although I believe Isabelle is responsible for that one.”

“No one should have that much power. Not even you,” Alec retorted sharply at the suggestion, but Magnus simply rolled his eyes.

“It’s a compass.”

“It could be dangerous.”

“Life is dangerous!” Magnus proclaimed. “Take a risk. Fix the damage your parents did and end all of this, once and for all. Your assistance would not be… unrewarded.”

“What kind of reward could you possibly have to offer us, Bane?”

“For you? Whatever you like.”

Alec seemed almost flustered at Magnus’ comment, opening his mouth to speak and then closing it again, clearing his throat before trying again. “We’re not interested.”

Magnus held out his hand over the side of the boat, tracing patterns in the water, watching Alec with a look in his eyes that Clary couldn’t quite place. “Anything you want, Alec. For you and your siblings. Anything I could possibly give you.” Magnus paused, smirking slightly. “Although I’d much rather give some personal attention to you.”

He was _flirting_ , Clary realised and she wasn’t entirely sure what to make of that. If it helped convince Alec to help them, she was all for it; but all it really seemed to do was frustrate the other man, and when this was all over, she needed to remember to ask what exactly it was that had caused this bad blood between Magnus and the mermaids. It didn’t matter right now though. They had to convince them.  They couldn’t get to Simon without their help.

“We’ll give you whatever you want, just … _please_. I need to find my friend.”

Jace drifting closer, murmuring something in Alec’s ear that Clary couldn’t quite catch. Alec shot him a look, but Jace didn’t seem to want to give up so easily. “Alec, we can do this. It won’t happen again. We won’t let it, you know we’re smarter than that.”

“I don’t know what went wrong before, but I just want my friend back. I won’t let anything go wrong again.”

“There’s a lot more that you don’t know, little girl. You can’t promise that.”

“Alec. Please,” Izzy added, swimming forward, reaching for his shoulder. “We can do this. We’re not our parents.”

“Yet we’re still paying for their mistakes, aren’t we?” Alec mumbled, lowering his voice, which made Clary think he didn’t want her and Magnus to hear it, but they were too close.

“So let’s fix them. Together.”

“This really doesn’t seem like the right way to go about fixing it.”

“So what is, Alec? What we’ve been doing?” Izzy challenged, a fire in her eyes that Clary couldn’t help but admire. “You know we can do better.”

“By helping _Magnus Bane_?”

“Forget him. By fixing what they broke.”

“What if we just make things worse?”

“What if we never change anything at all?” Izzy challenged. “What if things stay as they are forever? Is that better?”

Clary couldn’t help but feel like she was privy to a conversation that was supposed to be held in private, couldn’t help but feel like she’d stumbled on to something that was old and had been going on for such a long time; at the same time though, that couldn’t matter to her right now.

“Please,” she chimed in, trying to meet Alec’s gaze. “We can’t do this without your help.”

“I’ll go. With or without you,” Jace declared boldly, moving a little closer to the boat. “Don’t make me do this without you.”

Clary couldn’t tell how much they would need Alec on board for this, couldn’t begin to imagine what the relationship between these three was like, but regardless of all that, she could tell it was important to both Izzy and Jace that he approve.

She could also tell that, however slowly and surely it might be, he seemed to be caving, so she hung back a little, kept quiet as she watched the discussion between the three mermaids unfold.

“Why is this so important to you?” Alec asked softly, shaking his head, and Jace snorted a little.

“You know why.”

There was a moment of silence between them, something that felt poignant and important, like a tipping point. Clary bit her lip, frightened to break it, but as it turned out. She didn’t have to.

“Fine. But we do this my way.”

With that Alec was gone in a flash of waves and water, Jace following not long after. Isabelle, however, lingered, drifting closer to the little rowboat. “We’ll meet you at your ship,” she promised Clary, and Clary nodded, a little entranced at the up close reminder of just how pretty the mermaid in question was.

“Thank you,” she murmured, and Izzy smiled, nodding in acknowledgment. Then in a splash of purple scales and water, she too had disappeared, and the whole thing felt like a dream. But from the look on Magnus’ face, she could tell it wasn’t.

Now it seemed all they had to do was make it back to the ship and wait. For whatever came next.

**Author's Note:**

> We're gonna keep writing till Simon is safe and sound; as of now we're uncertain as to how many chapters that will take! Stay tuned...


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